Daily Fantasy Hockey Picks for FanDuel and DraftKings 1/8/18

Welcome back hockey fans. After a somewhat slow Monday night the NHL brings us a huge 11-game slate tonight with tons of plays at every price range. Let's jump in and take a look at a few at each position and then be sure to grab a copy of my DFS NHL Cheatsheet where I highlight all my top plays and stacks with advanced stats. After that, check out our all-new NHL Optimizer tool where you can create up to 50 lineups for both FanDuel and DraftKings.

Now’s your chance to get DFSR PRO, which will give you access to our NHL optimizer! Get started for free by clicking the button below.

First time with NBA? Be sure to read our free NBA Ebooks on building lineups, general strategy and more. We've got you completely covered.

GOALIE

Marc-Andre Fleury FD - $9000 DK - $8200
Opponent - NYR
Proj Pts FD - 18.21 DK - 4.55

There are plenty of goalies in good spots tonight and I will start with Marc-Andre Fleury who comes in having won four straight and has gone 7-0-3 with a .921 save % over his last 10 games. On the season, he has been elite at home with a 13-3-3 record, .928 save % and a whopping five shutouts. He now gets one of the best matchups on the slate as the Golden Knights are huge -260 favorites against a Rangers team that has scored just three goals in their last three games, is 6-12-2 on road and rank 25th in road offense scoring just 2.4 goals per game. All things considered, Fleury is my top goalie and a great play in all formats.

Matt Murray FD - $8800 DK - $8200
Opponent - FLA
Proj Pts FD - 18.2 DK - 4.55

If you are looking to ride the hot hand, look no further than Matt Murray of the Pittsburgh Penguins. Since returning from injury in mid-December, Murray has reeled off seven straight wins with an elite .962 save % and two shutouts all while facing over 33 shots per game. The only reason I list him as my second option tonight is that he and the Penguins face a Panthers team that ranks Top 10 in road offense for the season but I am not too concerned as the Pens are still -185 favorites. I like the win upside and safety a little more for Fleury but for GPP's I am absolutely sold on the upside Murray gives us tonight.

CENTERS

Tyler Seguin FD - $7800 DK - $7200
Opponent - STL
Proj Pts FD - 15.98 DK - 4.69

There is a long list of elite centers(MacKinnon, McDavid, Crosby, Stamkos, Bergeron) on this slate and if you have the extra salary I wouldn't talk you off any of them. From a PTS/$ perspective, the decision is easy for me tonight as Seguin is the seventh most expensive center on both sites and has been red-hot lately with points in five straight games with 23 shots on goal. This is the positive regression we have been expecting as he went through a cold spell before being called out by the CEO and the advanced stats show why as he averages over 11 shots per 60 with a 19.2 iCorsi/60. I fully expect him to stay hot against a Blues team that has surprisingly struggled at home ranking dead last in home defense allowing 3.6 goals per game. Seguin is a great play in cash games and as a part of a Dallas stack in GPP formats.

Stack with: Jamie Benn, Alexander Radulov

Evgeny Kuznetsov FD - $7200 DK - $6700
Opponent - PHI
Proj Pts FD - 12.3 DK - 3.8

Kuznetsov has not been at his best lately with just six points in his last 10 games and despite a rising salary is still only the 12th most expensive option at the position tonight. The good news is that during that 10 game stretch he has tallied 32 shots on goal and is now back up on the top line with Alexander Ovechkin. That alone would put him into consideration tonight but he also gets an elite matchup against a Flyers team that is playing on a back to back and third game in four nights and ranks 30th on defense allowing 3.6 goals against per game. Fire up Kuznetsov in all formats and strongly consider pairing him with Ovechkin in cash games.

Stack with: Alex Ovechkin, Tom Wilson

Also Consider: Mathew Barzal(NYI) who has been terrific lately with 13 points in his last 10 games and has also seen an uptick in shot volume with 35 in those games

WINGERS

Jeff Skinner FD - $7100 DK - $6600
Opponent - NJ
Proj Pts FD - 16.43 DK - 4.66

One very profitable strategy this season has been to target against the Devils on the road as they are giving up 3.8 goals per game away from Jersey. Tonight that leads us to the Buffalo Sabres who have been one of the best turnaround stories in the league this season. They went from the basement to a team in contention and a large part of that has been the offense. I have talked about Jack Eichel a ton this season and tonight will be loading up on his linemate Jeff Skinner. He is having an impressive first season with the Sabres as he has already tallied 41 points in 42(49 all of last year) while averaging over three shots per game. He comes in the mid-range of pricing on both sites and provides a nice floor for cash games as well as a ton of upside for GPP. If Eichel is 100% back in the lineup tonight, stack that top line in GPP formats.

Stack with: Jack Eichel, Sam Reinhart

Vladimir Tarasenko FD - $6800 DK - $5600
Opponent - DAL
Proj Pts FD - 11.37 DK - 3.41

On FanDuel, this is more of a GPP play as the Blues are playing on a back to back and third game in four nights while Tarasenko's price has almost reached $7K again. DraftKings is a different story as his price continues to trend down while he is starting to heat up once again with points in back to back games. One thing that didn't slump for Tarasenko was the floor as he has 32 shots over his last 10 games and sits with some elite advanced stats on the season with a 12.1 shots/60, 20.6 iCorsi/60 while averaging almost 12 scoring chances per 60. Despite the matchup, I am willing to use Tarasenko in all formats on DraftKings with his floor and ceiling combined.

Stack with: Jaden Schwartz, Brayden Schenn

Also Consider: Jake Guentzel(PIT) who comes at an affordable mid-range price on both sites and gives us exposure to the Crosby line in a plus matchup against the Panthers 28th ranked defense

DEFENSEMEN

Josh Morrissey FD - $4400 DK - $5200
Opponent - COL
Proj Pts FD - 11.19 DK - 3.35

Since introducing the NHL lineup optimizer, the projections have absolutely loved paying up for two defense but tonight could be a different story with so many high-floor value options. It starts with Josh Morrissey of the Jets who is having a career year with 24 points in 39 games(career-high 26 points last season) and has also provided a very high floor over his last 10 games with a nice balance of shots(20) and blocks(24) to go along with seven points for an average of 3.8 DraftKings/13.2 FanDuel points per game. He is a great play in all formats tonight.

Justin Faulk FD - $4600 DK - $4600
Opponent - NYI
Proj Pts FD - 9.79 DK - 2.99

While I prefer Morrissey on FanDuel for $200 less, Faulk is the play on DraftKings at a $600 discount. He hasn't flashed near the upside as Morrissey this season with just 15 points but has provided a very similar floor lately with six points, 25 shots, and 15 blocks over his last 10 games for an average of 3.4 DraftKings/12.1 FanDuel points per game. I would go a different direction for GPP formats tonight but love Faulk in cash games.

Also Consider: Colton Parayko(STL) in cash games

Hockey is back and with it comes our NHL projections which help inform these picks every night. When you purchase a DFSR NHL subscription to our base hockey projections you also get access to our brand new NFL DFS suite of tools including full projections, optimal NFL lineups, and our Player Lab, which includes filters to help you create NFL lineups for FanDuel and DraftKings for any format. It’s a set of tools well beyond anything we’ve ever had, and something we feel will help our users *ahem* tackle the NFL season.